OneShot Trilogy
by Leiria
Summary: Related one-shots compiled into one story. Harry dies from Voldemort's final curse and Draco follows years later. He's dragged to hell while Harry stays in heaven without him. God says that all suicides go to hell. Is there anything they can do?
1. Draco's Prayer

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter, anything related to it, or any of the song lyrics at the beginning of each chapter. I make no money from this. It is purely an ego boost and ideas that had to be finished. The first song is Loreena McKennett's _Dante's Prayer_, the second is Savage Garden's _You Can Still Be Free_, and the third is Creed's _With Arms Wide Open_.**

_Though we share this humble path, alone_

_How fragile is the heart_

_Oh give these clay feet wings to fly_

_To touch the face of the stars_

_Breathe life into this feeble heart_

_Lift this mortal veil of fear_

_Take these crumbled hopes, etched with tears_

_We'll rise above these earthly cares_

_Cast your eyes on the ocean_

_Cast your soul to the sea_

_When the dark night seems endless_

_Please remember me_

_Please remember me._

_-Loreena McKennitt (Dante's Prayer)_

**Draco's Prayer - Part One  
**

He was my life, my soul, my reason for living. Now he's gone, stolen from me so unfairly. Not that death is ever fair, mind you, but he had just started to live. He had finally found something to live for, and his life was stolen.

He was my lover, not that anyone knew. We kept it quiet because of his fear that the Dark Lord might do something, or that even Ron and Hermione would abandon him. He was just about ready to tell them...now that the Dark Lord is gone and we didn't have to worry anymore.

He changed me in a way no one thought possible. When he said I had changed, that I wasn't the "slimy git" that I had always been known between the three of them as, he meant it. That touched me, the first time I heard him tell off Ron and Hermione for it. They didn't trust me, he did and he was hurt by their lack of it. He cried on my shoulder that night, something he didn't do no matter what. He always said it was a weakness, crying. I have to say that I used to agree with him. Not now, not anymore.

He loved to watch the sun set; he said he had always felt at peace at that time of the day. No matter what, when he saw that sunset, he was calm, cool, collected. Voldemort attacked at sunset...that was his biggest mistake.

But I don't like to think about the end, I'd much prefer to stay at the beginning where everything was nice and happy. Where we hadn't had a care in the world, at least not at that moment, there was always the one care.

I remember exactly the night my life changed for the Light. The night we found each other, the real person behind our façade. I remember it like it was yesterday....

__Flash Back__

I'll never forgive that Potter. Stupid git made me come out into this freezing night air. It's fucking December! Who's going to be out here?

I shivered in my cloak. Even the fur wasn't enough to keep me warm on this damned night. It was an odd December. No snow, no storms. The sky was unbelievably clear and unbearably cold. _Why_ did I have to come out here and check for students? Did he just love to punish me or something?

I shivered again and wrapped my cloak tighter around me and looked up. My favorite constellation, Orion, was directly above me; Orion The Hunter, with his bow and his belt that is so famous. Just like Potter and his scar. Merlin, would I ever be able to look at anything ever again without thinking of him? Green reminds me of his eyes, though nothing in this world would ever be able to match that shade of green. My own scars remind me of his. The only difference is that his are famous and mine aren't anywhere near my face. We can't be blemishing that surface you know. It's like fucking gold.

I heard footsteps behind me and I turned sharply to see Potter coming. Merlin, what does he want now?

"Are there any students up in the sky?" he asks oddly. He looked up to where my gaze had been. "Orion, huh?" he asked. "That one is my favorite. He's like a guardian for me. Always there when I need it to be...."

I wondered why he was sharing this information with me. What made him think that I would care?

"Why do you do it," he asked quietly, lowering his gaze to meet my own.

"Why do I do _what,_ Potter?" I demanded.

"Say the things you say, fight with me, worship your father...."

He was so quiet I could barely hear him. There was something about that quietness that unnerved me. He wasn't asking _me_ these questions, he was asking my soul. I couldn't lie, so I looked away. I was now so ashamed of my self and my behavior that I couldn't look into those stunning eyes and not be in someway affected. There would be no way for me to keep up my "Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius Malfoy and someday Death Eater" act. Yes, I did say act. That was not what _I _wanted, that was what my father wanted.

"Because that's the way I was raised, Potter," I said coldly regaining my composure. I was _not_ going to let this miracle kid rule my emotions. "My father--"

"Enough with the 'my father' bullshit, Malfoy!" he yelled startling me. "Give me a straight answer for once. Tell me something real."

I was speechless. If my father ever heard about that he'd beat me to within an inch of my life and leave me to die. Malfoys were _never_ speechless. Ever.

I couldn't give him the real answer though. That would cost too much. That would take too much away from me and I need to keep that. I will not be laughed at because of the reason I taunt and tease the Golden Trio.

"Draco, answer me."

Merlin, he just said my name....

"Why do you care so much?" I asked, my voice shaking. No!

He looked at me so intensely I thought he could see right through to my soul. I felt naked, standing there in front of him like this. I kept pleading silently for him to look away when he finally stepped closer.

He was my exact height. He was level with me in every aspect of our builds. We were identical, except for the obvious differences. He was getting closer to me...my gaze dropped to his lips. I could feel his breath on my skin and I couldn't take it any longer.

Before he could bring his lips to mine, I had mine on his.

__End Flash Back__

Never before, and never again have I experienced a kiss quite like that. Every one of Harry's kisses were unique in only a way he was. Every time our lips met, it was a different sensation. But that first kiss between us, that one was the one I will always remember for the rest of my life. That was what made me decide I would stop acting and come out of my father's shadow. I needed to be my own person, and only Harry could make me realize that. I will always owe him, but I will never be able to pay him back. Not now...not now that he's gone....

I visit his grave often, his birthday, our anniversary, and the day we were supposed to be married; and every chance between. I can't leave him, I can't let him go, and I'm finding it hard to go on living. Something is stopping me from picking up the knife and joining him on the other side. And I want to. I want to so bad I can already see the blood on the knife, I can already feel the pain, I can already see my end. But I can't seem to get there. Something, or someone, is preventing me from doing it. Someone or something wants me here to stay, without him. I cant live this way. I can't hide any longer.

I Apparated to Hermione's apartment and knocked on the door urgently.

Be home, please, Merlin, be home...

I had to tell them, I had to let them know just how deeply Harry and I cared for each other.

She answered the door almost immediately. She had a stunned look on her face as she stepped aside and let me in. Guess I look pretty horrible at the moment.

"Can I get you anything, Draco?" she asked as I took off my cloak. At least I remembered it this time.

"Do you know where Ron is?" I asked. "I have something that you both really should know. That Harry wanted you to know."

She looked at me as though I knew absolutely nothing about him that she did. Please, let her not freak out on me. I need her to stay in my life now. I need them like Harry needed them...before he died.

"Draco," she said in regards to my question. "It's eleven o'clock in the morning. Ron's at work."

Oh, right. I forgot about that. Ron's been working overtime lately for Fred and Gorge. Working over time to pay for the wedding with Luna.... How could I have forgotten? Which reminds me, that's another thing they don't know. They still don't know where the twins got that first sack of gold needed to start their business. I'll let them drop that bomb when they're ready.

I sighed and raked a hand through my hair. The baby fine strands fell into my eyes, but I made no effort to move them out of the way.

"What is it?" she asked seeing how distressed I was. I sighed again and flopped down on the couch.

"Harry had a secret, Hermione," I began. "One he kept from you and Ron. One he kept from the world because of the danger that put me into." I looked up into her golden eyes. "Do you remember when Harry broke the news he was engaged and you and Ron were outraged because you had never even heard of the person he was dating?"

Her eyes darkened and she nodded.

"Did you know you've met him?"

_"Him?"_ she asked shocked. "Are you telling me that Harry was _gay?"_

"Indeed I am, Hermione," I answered sadly. "Indeed I am."

"Well who was he?" she demanded sitting as well. "Did he go to Hogwarts with us?"

"Yes."

"What House was he in? Gryffindor?"

"Not Gryffindor, no."

"Was it you?" she asked softly.

I closed my eyes against the tears and nodded. "Me," I choked. "He was engaged to me and he wanted to tell you who I was, but the fear of Voldemort was too strong for him. He was afraid I would become even more of a target....

"He used to cry at night, Hermione, about how scared he was for all of us. He never once was afraid for himself; he said we all were enough so he didn't need to be. He didn't want anyone else to get hurt, especially after your parents died. Do you know how heartbreaking it is to see him cry?"

She shook her head. "He would never cry when we were around."

"He hated crying when I was there. He said it made him weak. I told him to shut up and that he wasn't weak. He was the strongest person I knew. He had to be, to put up with me. I had to be hell for him."

"You weren't. He would always tell us about you, without giving away anything. I always wondered. I went through every girl I have ever known, and most that I had seen on a somewhat regular basis, but none of them fit what Harry was telling us. I never thought to think he could be gay though. He hid it so well. He even went on dates with Ron and Luna and he always showed with a girl on his arm."

"Co-workers," I informed her. "He took them out to dinner on those nights and then came home to me. He always hated it, having to parade around as someone he wasn't. I had to listen to his ranting and raving until he finally calmed down enough to ask 'so, how was your night?'"

"When was he going to tell us?"

"He was talking himself into it when he died. I had to talk myself into telling you all as well. I guess his fear rubbed off on me a bit."

"Fear? What fear?"

"He was afraid you two would turn out to be raging homophobes and turn your backs on us. That was one of the thoughts running through my head just a minute ago."

"Why would you even think that?" she demanded standing. "Why would you even doubt us like that? I'll admit, on the outside, Ron does act a bit homophobic, but he's really not. Look at Ginny!" She demanded. "Look at who she married. We've been around gays before, Draco, how could you even think we would abandon you?"

"Like you said, look at Ginny," I said sadly. "Look at how well Ron took Ginny's relationship with Lavender. Ron didn't talk to her for a month. That is what scared Harry so much. He was afraid that if Ron couldn't handle his own _sister_ being gay, he wouldn't be able to handle Harry being gay as well. He thought that since he _wasn't_ family, Ron would quit talking to him all together. Harry couldn't loose either of you. That is why he was wrestling so hard with himself to tell you.

"Now me, on the other hand, I didn't think you two would mind, but like I said. Some of Harry's fear rubbed off on me. He couldn't lose any of us. You were his conscience, Hermione; Ron was his best friend and brother, and I, I was his life. He couldn't live without us, yet..." the words trailed off. I couldn't say he was dead again today. I might not say it for a week now. I just cant except that he wont be there in the morning, even though it's been three years.

"He died with us," she finished for me. "Draco, if I had known...."

"But you didn't," I said fighting tears again. "You didn't know and neither did anyone else."

She looked at me with nothing but sadness in her eyes. She stood and walked over to me and pulled me into a hug. "We're here for you, Draco," she said in my ear. "You're not alone anymore."

But I was alone. I couldn't be any more alone than I was now. Sure, she knew, and she'd stay, but Harry's not here. I let myself go. I let myself cry on Hermione's shoulder. I couldn't hold it in any longer. I couldn't see them still cry and me not being able because I "didn't know Harry like they did". And that's right, I didn't, but I knew him better, I knew him in a way only I could know him. I had my own tears that needed to be shed, and I couldn't keep myself from doing so anymore.

There was a knock on the door just before it opened.

"Hermione, do--"

It was Ron. He was obviously shocked at my sitting in Hermione's living room and crying on her shoulder. I couldn't see him, but I could easily picture his shocked face in my mind and in any other circumstance, I would have laughed. I pulled away from Hermione and looked up at the stunned redhead.

"Draco, what?"

"Harry had a secret, Ron," Hermione said. "A secret we would have never guessed."

"What is it?"

"You--"

"I'll tell him, Hermione," I interrupted. I needed to, if only because it was my secret as well. "Ron, Harry was gay," I said trying to stop crying. Ron dropped the bag he was holding. Shocked? Most definitely. "You remember when he said he was engaged?" I asked. He nodded mutely, still totally bewildered. "He was engaged to me."

"Y-you too?" he asked weakly. "You're gay too?"

I nodded.

He sat down cross-legged on the floor. "But you two hated each other. How? Harry wasn't _gay;_ he went with me on double dates! With girls!"

"Did you ever notice that he only took friends from work? Or that it was a different girl each time? Did you ever notice how you had to beg him to go with you?" Ron nodded again. "Would you like to know what happened when he left early every time?"

__Flash Back__

The door slammed shut and Harry muttered a curse as I turned in my chair to look at him. He looked angry, like he always did when he came home on nights like this. Ron had asked him for an hour straight if he would go on a double date with him and Luna. Harry, as usual, reluctantly agreed. And no doubt hated every minute of it too.

He went with his partner from work tonight, Angelica, I think. I don't pay much attention to these things. When I do, it makes him think I'm offended by these stupid dates.

"That's it," he said angrily. "I'm not going on one more date with those two and a girl again!"

"Why do you let it bug you so much?" I asked quietly as he sat down next to me. I wrapped my arm around him and he leaned into me.

"I feel like I'm betraying you," he revealed softly. "I hate it that you're not there with me. I'm going to tell them," he said suddenly standing.

I looked up at him concerned. "You sure?" I asked.

"I thought you wanted them to know."

"I do. But I don't want you to lose them, like you're afraid you will."

"If I lose them, it will only save their lives in the end."

"Would you quit talking like that?" I asked slightly angry. "We won't die because of you. I swear to you, you will not lose us like that."

"You don't know that though."

I stood and cupped his face in my hands. "Yes I do, love. You need to stop being afraid like this. Nothing is going to happen to us because we love you. If anything were to happen to us, it would be because he is an asshole, and he doesn't like anyone who doesn't like him. And you know that my betrayal makes me a high target anyway. Not you."

"Only because no one knows about us."

"Because you're afraid," I said quietly kissing his forehead lightly. I had just missed his scar, which was a really good thing; he usually got upset about it. He sighed and wrapped his arms around my waist and I held him closer. "Calm down, love. Everything will be fine."

His chest expanded as he breathed deeply. "I love you," he said quietly.

__End Flash Back__

I had told the both of them the story as I had seen it in my mind. Leaving out a bit here and there, of course. They didn't need to know every detail. I cried as they questioned me over and over about why we never said anything. They began to demand answers, asking their questions harshly and rapidly. I would barely answer one question before another would be asked.

"How long were you together?" Hermione demanded again. I had refused to answer this question four times already; maybe it was time to answer now.

"If he were still alive, ten years tomorrow," I answered.

"T-ten?" Hermione asked shocked. "How is that possible?"

"We began dating in Seventh year."

They demanded to know the story. They demanded to know what it was that had changed to unite us. I started at the very beginning: that day in Madam Malkin's.

"When I met Harry for the first time," I explained, "I didn't have a clue as to who _he_ was. Growing up as a wizard, like you, Ron, only with parents like mine, I knew his story and I had been taught to hate him more than Dumbledore. I had been taught that anyone who was against Voldemort was against me as well. That's why I was so rude to you all. I had been taught to hate you.

"Harry refused my hand in friendship. Even then, I wanted to be my own person, not the Death Eater my father wanted me to be. Harry had power, he was a good person, and he was everything I've always wanted. But I had screwed that up when I insulted Hagrid. He didn't want anything to do with me.

"And as the years went by, as I watched all of you go from one dangerous victory to another, I fell in love with Harry. That's why I started to be ruder, more hateful. Harry cornered me in seventh year, that December night when he sent me out on the grounds to look for students. He asked me why. I told him only half. I wasn't about to tell the man I had feelings for him when I had absolutely no idea how he would react, and I wasn't about to become the school joke.

"I don't know how it happened in reality, one moment we were fighting, the next...."

"You didn't kiss, did you?" Ron asked slightly disgusted. My only response was to smile slightly and not say a word. They don't really need to know.

But talking about these things made me cry again. I had a steady stream of tears coming out of my eyes and running down my cheeks. They were hot when they were on my face, but the wetness they left behind was cold. It was like my life. First everything was cold and dry, and then with Harry in it, everything became warm and happy. Now, with Harry gone, stolen away from me, only the cold remnants are left behind....

I left them, soon after that, I didn't really want the questions to continue. I had Apparated the flat Harry and I had brought to life. It felt like no one lived here now. It was cold and stony, yet there weren't any stones anywhere. There was carpet and wood and it looked inviting, until you stepped inside and felt how I had turned this place of warmth and comfort into a place of sorrow and despair. Harry would have been outraged at me for being like this. He would hate for me to be so depressed all of the time. But I can't help it; he was my life, my soul, and my reason for living. Now that he's gone, what do I have to live for? For what reason should I live?

I tossed my cloak onto the couch and went to the kitchen. A cold plate of last night's dinner lay on the counter. I hadn't eaten more than three bites. I haven't had an appetite since Harry. I haven't done anything since Harry.

I picked up the frosted glass by the plate and stared at it. It had been a present of Harry's, for our anniversary about five years ago, when we had moved in here.

__Flash Back__

We had no furniture, no dishes and no food. What we did have was an empty two-bed room flat with a kitchen, a bathroom, and a living room. And each other of course. Harry had Apparated to the Three Broomsticks and bought us some food. He had just come back and we had spread out a blanket in the middle of the living room floor. We sat down, the food between us, and began eating the extremely odd buffet of food.

"Harry," I asked when he had set it all out. "Could you pick an odder choice of a menu?"

"Possibly," he answered. There was chicken, hamburgers, soup, fruit, candies, and a million other things that do not belong together. I picked up a grape and looked at it before playfully throwing it at Harry. I hit his cheek and fell to the floor. He looked down, picked it up, and tossed it back....

We didn't eat much of the food that night; we kept fighting with it. I would toss a bit; he would toss more. The living room was a disaster by the time we had finished and there was no food to be eaten.

"Potter, look at this mess!" I joked. "Clean it up."

He looked at me with his eyebrows raised. "I didn't make this mess, Malfoy, you did."

"I did not!" I was trying so hard not to burst out in laughter, but I was having a very hard time of it. Finally, it was just too much. I burst out into laughter and Harry joined me.

Something in the air had changed then, with the both of us laughing. We stopped and stared at each other in silence, only the sound of our quick breathing could be heard. I was lost in his eyes, which at the moment were almost black with desire.

__End Flash Back__

I threw the glass against the wall and watched it shatter against the cupboards. The glass sparkled in the light from the bulb in the ceiling socket.

"Bastard!" I shouted. "Why, Harry? Why?" I sank to my knees sobbing. I can't take this anymore. I can't take this torture that has become my life. The words of a poem my mother wrote came back to haunt me....

_A year and a day has passed_

_Is it over at last?_

_This hell I've been through_

_It can't be true_

_Time Passes_

_Missed Chances_

_Depression Prevails._

I stood up and walked across the room to the drawer with all of our sharp knives. I opened it up and took out a small knife.

"Harry, I'm sorry," I whispered and I pierced the flesh of my wrist with it. I gasped in the pain and watched the dark red liquid bead up and spill over to the side. I heard the drop hit my shoe and I pulled the knife up my arm. My arm was numb now, as I transferred the knife from my clean hand to my bloody one. I repeated the process and let the knife drop to the floor. I was starting to feel light headed. I made my way to the bathroom on unsteady feet and glanced at my reflection in the mirror. I don't remember what I saw; I fell down and was gone....

~'*'~'*'~'*'~'*'~

I opened my eyes. I didn't have a clue where I was or how I'd gotten here, but I was lying in a bed and a pair of green eyes watched me closely. I was groggy and in pain, but I sat up and stared at those eyes.

"Why?" he asked.

"Why what?"

"Why did you do it?"

"Did it work?"

A pair of eyelids with an abundant amount of lush lashes closed over that lush green. "Yes," he whispered. "You're dead."

"Then what does it matter?" I asked. "Why do you care so much?"

"Because I love you!" he shouted standing. His lengthy profile cowered over me as I sat in the wide bed. He walked over to it and dropped to his knees. "Draco, why? You lasted three years without me, you even told Ron and Hermione about us, so why did you leave them behind? They need you as much as you needed them."

"And I needed you more!" I shouted back. "You were my only reason for living Harry. You were my life, my soul. You _died_ and left me empty. I had nothing and no one and I couldn't even mourn you. I couldn't cry when I saw Ron and Hermione crying. I couldn't cry by myself, because then the tears wouldn't come. How can you have expected me to be all right without you? You, who was the only good thing in my life?"

Harry hung his head. "I couldn't, I didn't. I was hoping you wouldn't do this though." He looked back up and met my eyes. "Why?"

I gave him the same answer that I gave him ten years ago. I kissed him. And then I started to cry. Something in me _knew_ that I would not spend eternity with him. Something in me _knew_ that this was the reason he tried to stop me from suicide so many times.

"I'm sorry, love," he said through his own tears. "We can't stay here, and we can't come back. They'll give us twenty-four hours, but that's it. After that, you're the one who will be stolen away from me."

We spent those last twenty-four hours together in a way we hadn't before. Everything was different now, everything was perfect. Every touch was whisper soft, every word was full of love, every sigh a new feeling. I hated when they came to take me away. I cried, screamed and yelled for them to reconsider. I shouted one last "I love you" to Harry and disappeared. This was hell. I was trapped in darkness with only my despair and anguish to haunt me.

He was my life, my soul, my reason for living....


	2. Harry's Fight

_Cool breeze and autumn leaves_

_Slow motion daylight_

_A lone pair of watchful eyes_

_Oversee the living_

_Feel the presence all around_

_A tortured soul_

_A wound unhealing_

_The past is gone_

_But you can still be free_

_If time will set you free_

_-Savage Garden (You Can Still Be Free)_

**Harry's Fight - Part Two**

Everything around me is bright and cheerful. The light flashes off of the Golden Snitch in my eye and the broom at my side begins to shake. I picked it up and smashed it against the tree on my left. If this is supposed to be Heaven, why isn't he here? Why are we stuck in Hell?

And how am I supposed to be happy surviving through eternity without him? How am I supposed to deal with the fact that _God_ has decided that he didn't deserve a second chance? That this all-powerful being has decided that _all_ _suicides go to Hell. _

It's been three months and I can't stop thinking about it. I tried to stop him, I really did. But he quit listening to me. He quit paying any attention to the forces trying to stop him from committing suicide. I almost hate him for it, but I love him and miss him too much to put any conviction behind the emotion. I hated him for too long to hate him throughout eternity as well.

I remember watching him as he cried out for me just before he did it.

_"Bastard!" he shouted "Why, Harry? Why?"_

I shut my eyes against the pain, against the sound of his tortured voice. It came to me at all hours, haunting me as surly as I did him when he was alive, and possibly even now that he's dead and in Hell.

He's in Hell. It's the only thing I can think about. His tortured voice is all I can hear. His pain is all I can feel.

I remember when he told me that when I hurt, he hurt. I remember those months before I died…. I remember everything…

__Flash Back__

I felt the searing pain in my lungs as they constricted and I began coughing.

"Shit," I distantly heard Draco gasp as he scrambled to my aid. "Breathe," he begged almost panicking. "Breathe, love, come on, breathe."

I gasped and continued coughing. Draco quickly sat behind me and held my chest, hoping that the pressure would help. After three months it usually did, but not this time.

"Fuck," he whispered. "Harry, come on, you can get through this, come on, breathe!"

"Spell," I managed in the second before I coughed again.

Draco reached for his wand on the table next to us and nearly shouted the spell to help my lungs relax. I could feel it work almost instantly. Calming down, I noticed the taste of blood in my mouth. Draco began to shake and held me tighter; he was scared.

"Get better, Harry, don't leave me…"

I couldn't promise that. The Medi-wizards said this disease was fatal, especially for wizards. Unlike normal diseases, this one attached itself to the source of a person's magic. Even Muggles have magic. The source of Draco's hope came from the fact that the Medi-wizards said there was a possibility that I could survive long enough for the cure… the cure that didn't even exist yet.

The door opened and a house elf appeared. "Masters, Miss Hermione and Mr. Weasley are here to visit."

Draco stood and told the elf to let them in. He put his wand on the table as Hermione walked in.

"Hey, Harry, how are you?" I shook my head and lay back.

"He's just had a fit," Draco said. 'Fit' didn't seem to be the right word for it, but that was what we called them. And as a rule, I'm not supposed to talk for a wile after them, for fear of a relapse.

"Shit," Ron said closing the door. "Blood?" he asked. I nodded.

Draco swore. I looked up at him. "Y—"

"Don't you dare talk, Harry," he said. "You know better."

'You didn't ask,' I mouthed. He glared at me then walked to the window where only I could see him. Fuck, he was crying. 'Get back over here,' I silently ordered.

"Did you need the spell?" Hermione asked Draco, not looking at him. "Or were you able to calm it down without it?"

"No, we needed the spell," Draco said with a defeated tone. We try not to use it, it makes me rather lethargic for a few hours. "We couldn't get it under control…."

He turned and abruptly left us; he was visibly upset, but only to me. Ron and Hermione would only assume that he was leaving for us to have time to ourselves.

____End Flash Back__

I whipped the tears from my face. I walked over to the cabin that was given to me when I died that was supposed to be my home. I shut the door and looked around the empty room. In my mind I could see Draco sitting on the couch and turning to look at me. I could hear his voice saying: 'Hi, hard day?'

I turned away from the living room and walked down the hall to my bedroom where I could see my frail body giving out and Draco breaking. I turned and ran from the cabin and looked up to the sky.

"WHY?" I shouted to it. "WHY DID YOU TAKE HIM AWAY FROM ME?"

My surroundings changed and I appeared in front of an oak door. They have oak in Heaven? Guess I shouldn't be so surprised, anything can happen here. Well, almost anything.

I opened the door and walked in, not knowing what would be on the other side.

I saw an old man, very much like Dumbledore, sitting behind a claw-footed desk. "Sit," he said motioning to a chair in front the desk.

I sat and stared at the old man. What was I doing here?

"You asked why," He stated. "You asked why I took him away from you. You know that suicides go to Hell. Do you still ask why?"

"He doesn't deserve to go to Hell," I whispered. "He never did. He saved more lives than I can count--"

"Three hundred and fifty-seven, counting those he saved and the ones they saved, and you, but not those you saved."

"Three hundred and fifty-seven?" I asked in disbelief. "And you've condemned him to _Hell?"_

"Suicide."

"I don't care," I said bitterly. "You can't condemn a man to Hell for killing himself after he's done so much good. You can't do that!"

"You will find, that I can do whatever I want, and my law stays the same. Suicides go to Hell."

"Please, no. At least give me more time with him?"

"You had twenty-four hours with him."

"Twenty-four hours is supposed to last me through eternity? He's my soul-mate, for crying out loud!"

"Soul-mate?" God asked. "That's one I haven't heard before," he continued sarcastic. "Do you realize how many souls come here demanding to have their loved one released from Hell so that they can spend eternity with them? Most stop asking after a few years. They realize that the term 'Soul-mates' is one only used on earth by those looking for their 'One'. You will therefore please forgive me for not believing you and your convictions of love."

"Never," I answered in a loathing voice. "You will soon find that not all souls are alike, and I will not give in until I have him with me for the rest of eternity. Why will you not grant this simple request?"

"Because I can not go back on my word, for my word is infallible and all-powerful. Were I to grant your request, I would damn all for an eternity of nothingness. All would be lost and there would be no world, no souls, no angels, no god and most of all, no love. What you are asking for would bring about the end of everything."

"Then bring it on. I would rather not exist than not have him."

"What makes you so sure of that? What has he done to deserve your ultimate end?"

"How could you possibly understand? You are a god who sees fit to send any and all suicides to Hell regardless of what they have done with their lives. Why?"

"Thou shalt not kill."

"_I_ killed. Why am I here?"

"You asked forgiveness just before you died."

"Not yours. His. I asked for Draco's forgiveness."

"Would you rather be in Hell?"

"It would be better than staying here. At least there I would be in the same dimension as he is."

"You would give up eternal happiness for eternal damnation?" he asked not understanding. "Explain that to me."

"He was my life, my only reason for living. He is my soul, my other half. I am _nothing_ without him. Do you hear me? NOTHING! Absolutely nothing without him. He is what made me fight, he is what gave me strength to conquer Voldemort and save the world. Without him, I'd be in Hell anyway, dying because of suicide. Can you really condemn a man like that to an eternity of Hell knowing what would have happened if he had not been there for me, not done what he did in his lifetime?"

"He used to hate and torment you."

"I used to hate and torment him, doesn't mean people don't change."

"You really want him back?"

"I wont give up until I have him."

"Then this is a dance we shall repeat, for I am not willing to lose my universe because of the request of a soul who's mind and 'heart' will change in time."

"Same time tomorrow then," I said walking out of the door. There was no way I would win this fight today.

I didn't go to my cabin, I couldn't face that place again, not with what I saw earlier today. The sun was setting, casting everything in a red glow. Red…. That was the last color I saw….

__Flash Back__

It was the middle of the night; everything around me was black. Draco wasn't here; he'd gone into the kitchen for a cup of tea, and the promise he'd return shortly. I felt the familiar pain in my lungs as another "fit" came over me. This one would be the last one, I knew that instinctively.

I saw flashes of light with every excruciatingly painful cough. Damn Voldemort. Damn the bastard for this curse of sickness. I sat up, trying to get my lungs to open up, but knowing the whole time each effort was worthless. I was dying, not sometime down the road, but now. I was dying right now and he wasn't in here.

I wanted to scream for him, for the pain I was about to put us both through. If I could hold on just a little longer…the cure was almost finished! Snape promised Draco he would have it done before I died! I can't die now, I just can't.

My coughing worsened and I heard the thundering of Draco's footsteps as he rushed through the hall and slammed open the door.

"Harry, no!" he shouted. "Not now! Don't give in, love," he said as he rushed to his wand for the spell. He cast it once…twice…three times before my coughing stopped. I looked at my hands. Blood. More blood than had ever been there before. "Forgive me," I whispered as I fell back against the pillows seeing nothing but blackness all around me.

Forgive me love; I did not want to die.

__End Flash Back__

God took my asking forgiveness as though I asked it of _him_? How arrogant can a being get? I don't care if he is a god or that those words were my last, I care about Draco and the fact that he killed himself because of me. Merlin, if I could only turn back time….

If I could, I'd hold on, I wouldn't have died, I would have held on for the cure that was finished the day after my death. 24 more hours and I would have been cured. 24 more hours and we would both be alive today. I wish I could do it all over again.

The sun was gone now, leaving this supposed 'Heaven' shrouded in darkness. I wandered the woods so much like those of the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts. I saw the stag wondering and knew my father had come to visit. He changed back and walked over to me.

"You fought with god?" he asked.

"I'm still fighting with him, and I will until the end of eternity unless he gives me what I want."

"And what is it that you want?"

"Draco."

James sighed. "Harry, you know this is wrong, you know you can't have him."

"Don't tell me that. I would rather be in Hell than live an eternity without him. Wait, I am in Hell. I am in Hell because he isn't here with me. How would you feel if God took you away from mom? How would you feel if you were told you had _twenty-four_ hours to satisfy you for the rest of time?"

He closed his eyes and I knew he had seen my point. Now, would he help me? Would my father be the father he didn't get the chance to be in life and help me get the only one who ever mattered?

"I wish I could help you, son, but you're going against God's rules. To defy them would mean the end of time. You simply can't condemn the universe to total demise."

"Watch me," I said dangerously. "If I can't have him, the universe can go to oblivion and stay there. I don't care about the existence of anything without him. He was the one who saved the world from Voldemort, only because he saved me from my own suicide."

"You would have committed suicide?" he asked. "Are you sure you're my son?"

"Not if you won't help me."

"Harry, I can't help you win this war. Think of the rest of us; think of the souls on Earth. Think of the Universe. If God did grant you this one wish, we would be lost forever."

"Then be lost forever, maybe then I wouldn't have to suffer like I am."

I walked away, turning my back on the father that wasn't there for me, and wandered through the forest that brought back so many memories of life. If I could only live again….

Enough of the 'if onlys'. If I were meant to live long enough for that bloody cure, I would have. Obviously God has a sick and twisted sense of humor and wants us both to suffer.

He wouldn't be dead if it weren't for me. If I hadn't decided I was going to get the truth out of him, we would have never kissed, never become one, and he would still be alive. My only regret is that we never did get married. We were of course, waiting for me to get better, and for me to tell Ron and Hermione just who I was engaged to. It was interesting telling them and not saying who I would be marrying.

__Flash Back__

"Harry, wasn't there something you were going to say?" Draco asked slyly as Hermione and I stood to clear away the dinner dishes.

"Oh!" I said. "Right. Er…I'm engaged," I finished as I hurried to the kitchen.

"WHAT?" Ron and Hermione yelled following me.

"Who?" she asked as she set the plates she was holding down on the counter.

"You'll find out eventually."

"Harry, you can't get married without at _least_ telling us who you're getting married to."

"Oh yes I can."

"Why won't you tell us?" Ron demanded.

"Because it's a surprise."

"Do we know her?"

"Does Draco?"

"Yes, Draco knows who I'm marrying. He was there when the proposal came up."

"Draco was there and we don't even know who she is?"

"It was a very interesting evening," Draco said walking into the kitchen. "I was a bit surprised myself."

"I'd say you were," I said remembering his reaction to my answer.

"Who is she, Draco?" Hermione demanded. "Do we know her?"

"Yeah," he answered ignoring the 'her' in the question. "You know who he's marrying. Have known for a while now. Since Hogwarts I'd say."

"Well, who is she?"

"That, my friends, is for Harry to divulge."  
__End Flash Back__

And I never did. It took three years after I died for Ron and Hermione to find out who I was going to marry. Draco told them the day he died.

I was with him the entire time, knowing he was about to give up and stop listening to the forces trying to prevent him from killing himself. He told me he was sorry, before he slit his wrists. He made his way to the bathroom, with me holding him up so he would make it, then he fell, and all was lost. I left him in that instant to go to Hermione and make her realize something was wrong. She was the one who found Draco Malfoy dead in the bathroom. She had actually tried to heal him, not wanting to believe he was dead yet.

When I returned to the spirit world, they told me to go to a room between Heaven and Hell. This was where you were supposed to be greeted by loved ones after you died, but in our case, this room would be used to say goodbye. I tried to get them to take me instead, I could live through Hell as long as I knew he was safe, but they wouldn't take me. They insisted that Draco be the one to suffer, because of his suicide.

He wouldn't be there if I hadn't wanted to know the truth. If only I didn't have to know why he was such a _Malfoy_, he would still be alive.

I remember that night as clearly as Draco did when he was telling the story. Unlike him, I can go back to that night whenever I want and re-live the memory.

And like Draco, I re-live the bad memories as well.

I don't want to live in memories anymore; I want him. I want to create new memories, new feelings, a new life. I'm sick of having to survive the memories that leave me in agony for hours, sometimes days.

_ - ~*~ - _

It's that agony that keeps me fighting, five years after the fact. Every day I open that oak door and step inside, praying that this is the time that he cracks. Praying that this is the last time I have to beg, and plead, and try to make him see. He expected me to give up and quit asking a long time ago. He says no one has ever kept asking as long as I have, but he still doesn't believe me when I say that there is nothing worth living or surviving for without him. God still doesn't believe me when I say that we are meant to be together.

But I will _never_ give up.

And that I exactly why I am standing in front of this oak door about to open it again.

"Five years, Harry, and you're still fighting," he said when I had sat down in the chair.

"Will you agree in another five?" I asked. "Or are we still dancing?"

"What about pausing the dance long enough to compromise on who is the lead?"

"What is your proposal?"

"Sending you back. Both of you. You both go back to the day you died and I let you live long enough for that cure. Neither of you will remember any of this, and you'll both live out your lives in happiness. That way when you die, you both get an eternity of happiness."

"Fine. Whatever, I don't care, I just want him back."

_ - ~ ` * ` ~ - _

It was the middle of the night; everything around me was black. Draco wasn't here; he'd gone into the kitchen for a cup of tea, and the promise he'd return shortly. I felt the familiar pain in my lungs as another "fit" came over me. This one would be the last one, I knew that instinctively.

I saw flashes of light with every excruciatingly painful cough. Damn Voldemort. Damn the bastard for this curse of sickness. I sat up, trying to get my lungs to open up, but knowing the whole time each effort was worthless.

I wanted to scream for him. But I couldn't stop coughing long enough to do so.

My coughing worsened and I heard the thundering of Draco's footsteps as he rushed through the hall and slammed open the door.

"Harry, no!" he shouted. "Not now! Don't give in, love," he said as he rushed to his wand for the spell. He cast it once…twice…three times before my coughing stopped. I looked up at him scared. Something was supposed to happen now that wasn't happening. What was it?

I lay back against the pillows and closed my eyes for a second. That was when I knew I wasn't going anywhere. 'I love you,' I mouthed, knowing now was not the time to talk. He kissed my forehead and looked at me oddly, as if he, too, knew this was not what was supposed to happen. "I love you too. Rest now."

I shook my head. I didn't want to rest, I didn't want to sleep, not when I felt like if I did, I wouldn't see him when I woke up.

"Why not?" he asked.

How was I supposed to tell him that I didn't want to sleep because I was afraid that Voldemort would really finish me off tonight? I stared into his eyes, hoping that the fear I felt would show through to him. He smiled slightly and sat down next to me.

"Everything will be alright, Harry," he said. "Snape says the potion will be done tomorrow, but you need to get some sleep."

I shook my head again. "I'm scared, Draco," I whispered, knowing full well that I shouldn't be speaking yet. I didn't care; I needed him to know that I didn't want him to leave me alone again. "Don't leave me alone."

He nodded. "Alright, love," he whispered. "But shouldn't you're fiancé be here instead?" he asked slyly. "If Hermione and Ron come by early tomorrow, they might be a bit put off by the fact that it's me with you, and not 'her'."

"Shut up, you are my fiancé, and if they come in, that's what I'll tell them."

"You will?"

I nodded. "No more secrets. Besides, they'll need to know who you are before we get married."

He chuckled and we kissed. "If I stay, will you go to sleep?"

"Yeah."

It was the first night in months when he didn't sleep in a chair.


	3. Their Beginning

_With arms wide open_

_Under the sunlight_

_Welcome to this place_

_I'll show you everything_

_With arms wide open_

_Now everything has changed_

_I'll show you love_

_I'll show you everything_

_With arms wide open_

_-Creed, __With Arms Wide Open_

**Their Beginning - Part Three**

"I have it," Snape said stepping into the room. "The cure, it's finished."

Groggily, I opened my eyes. "Wha—" I said before coughing uncontrollably again.

"Use the spell, Draco," I heard Snape say. "He doesn't have long."

Again, it took more than one casting of the spell to calm my coughs. Each time I heard Draco nearly shout the spell, I heard the panic in his voice rise.

Four…five…six.

Finally, I could breathe again. Snape wasted no time in shoving the potion down my throat. It tasted bitter, vile, and stank. It nearly sent me into another coughing fit.

"It'll take about a day to kick in," he said. "No big stuff," he warned me. "That means kissing," he said to the both of us. Being gay himself, Draco and I had found little to no trouble in telling him the truth. We did, however, chuckle at his words.

And then Hermione showed up.

"Professor Snape!" she exclaimed. "Did you finish the cure?"

"Yes," Snape said oddly. "And Harry's already taken it."

"So he's cured?" she asked. I hate it when she talks about me like I'm not here. "It's over?"

"No, not quite. It will take a while, but he'll be fine. He's cured, for the most part. There may be a few lingering side-effects, but seeing as to how no one has survived this long before, let alone actually be _cured_, I think this is more than we could ever have hoped for."

"Yes," she said in a far away voice. "Yes, it is."

"What _kind_ of side-effects?" Draco asked, worried.

Snape visibly stiffened. "Erm, maybe a fit or two every now and then, the possibility of…err…anearlydeath."

"An early _what?_" Draco demanded. "An early _death!_ Are you _mad?_ You're supposed to cure him, not make it linger!"

"I did the best I could, Draco. You'd best be satisfied I did that much. Otherwise, Harry would be dead right this very instant!"

"You—"

"Draco stop," I ordered. "Thank you, Snape," I said. "I owe you."

"No, you don't," he replied before Disapparating.

Hermione shuffled her feet a few times. "Can I ask," she started, clearly uncomfortable, "what Draco is doing in your bed, Harry?"

"Oh," I said. I could literally feel the blood leaving my face. "Erm…Hermione," I said, very uncomfortable, "I'd like you to meet my…fiancé."

Now it was her turn to pale. "What?" she whispered.

"I-I never told you that-that I was…gay, did I?"

She shook her head weakly. "No," she whispered. "No, you never did."

"Surprise?" I said hopeful.

"I was hoping more for an 'April fools'," she admitted. "You're serious, aren't you?"

My heart fell. No, please Merlin, no. Not this. "Yes," I said hoarsely. She's going to leave me now, isn't she? She's going to leave and never—

"I can't believe it," she said smiling. "I never would have thought—Wow!" she exclaimed. She walked over to the bed and hugged both me and Draco. "I'm so happy for you! Why didn't you tell me before?"

I shrugged, not wanting to tell her the real reason. Who wants to tell their best friend they didn't tell them their secrets for fear of them turning away? Then again, I've done this very thing more than once. I can clearly remember a prophecy I didn't tell anyone about for three years. "I don't know," I lied. Draco squeezed my hand.

**Flash Back**

"Hey Harry," Draco said plopping down on the couch next to me, legs crossed over mine. "I've got something I want to ask you."

"Well, what is it?" I asked pushing his legs off of mine, and returned to my reading.

"I'm not about to ask you if you're not going to pay attention."

I sighed and placed my bookmark in my spot and set it down. "What?" I asked getting frustrated.

"Keep your shirt on Harry, I only wanted to know if you'd marry me."

"W-What?" I sputtered, completely shocked. Draco threw back his head and laughed. "Are you serious?" I asked him.

"Of course, silly," he replied. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you like to joke around. You'd be a great match for the Weasley twins."

He waved his hand dismissively. "No one could match those two blokes. Now answer me," he ordered. "Will you marry me?"

I wasn't too sure about this. I mean, I wanted to, more than anything ever before, but still…. What if I died?

What if I died?

"Harry," he asked getting nervous. "Please, love, say something?"

He was afraid I'd say no!

I smiled. "Of course, silly," I replied. "Why wouldn't I?"

_ - ~ ` * ` ~ - _

I was glad Hermione knew now. I'm actually thoroughly amazed Harry didn't just find some way to dismiss my presence in his bed as something minor, not worth noticing. But Hermione was bound to find out sooner or later, perhaps it's better that Harry told her now, instead of her finding out some other way and taking it out on Harry for _not_ saying something.

"Can I ask when this happened?" she asked sitting down at the edge of his bed. "How long you've been together?"

"Almost seven years," Harry replied thoughtfully. "Since seventh year…"

"Has it really been that long?" I asked referring to both Hogwarts and our relationship. Time flies in an instant when you're not paying much attention.

"Seven _years?_" Hermione asked in shock. "How?" she demanded. "When?"

"Remember that night, in December, when I asked Draco to go search the grounds for out-of-bed students?" She nodded. "That's when. I had sent him out there on purpose. I cornered him out on the grounds that night and demanded answers from him."

"So that's why you didn't just use the map that night?" she asked.

"What map?" I asked at the same time Harry answered "yeah".

"What map?" I asked again.

Harry shrugged. "It's just this map of Hogwarts that tells you where people are."

"The one you used to check to see if anyone was coming or going whenever we'd go back to our common rooms?" I asked remembering how he'd always look at the same tattered piece of paper that I'd told him to throw away countless numbers of times.

He smiled that smile and I was so grateful that he was alive. For the first, but certainly not the last time, I kissed him in front of Hermione—who gasped.

I laughed. Harry blushed.

"Hermione, you'd better get used to that quick," Harry said. "He tends to do that a lot."

"This is going to take some serious getting used to," she confessed. "You know, I used to go through every single girl we've ever known, just trying to figure out who you'd be engaged to. I could never come up with the right person though. None of them seemed right for you. None of them fit. Now that I see you two together, it's like you two fit like two pieces of a puzzle."

We both smiled. "Thank you, Hermione," I said. "That means a lot."

"No," she replied. "But if you _ever_ hide anything like this from me again," she threatened, "I'll skin both of your hides."

*(*(*(*()*)*)*)*

It's been three months now. Three months and I'm finally completely cured. Snape came up with the actual cure about a week ago. No early death for me!

And now, I'm finally going back to work.

"It's been too long," Draco sighed giving me a kiss on the cheek. "I've forgotten how good you look in those robes."

"Shut up," I said embarrassed. "And get ready. You're going back today too you know."

"I know," he said. "I just thought I'd admire the view a bit more before I started readying myself for the day."

"If you wait any longer, you'll be late."

"I'll be fine," he shot back. "I'm not _that_ vain."

"You can't pass a mirror without looking at it for nearly five minuets, just to make sure every single hair is in place," I reminded him. "Now get ready, I'm not waiting for you."

He sighed and pushed himself off of our bed and sauntered over to the closet. He pulled out a long neglected robe and cast a quick charm over it. It looked as good as new, all over again. He put it on and looked up at me. "See," he said with a shrug. "It doesn't take me more than five seconds to get ready."

"Just wait until you stand in front of a mirror," I shot. "Then I'll have to leave without you."

I hit a nerve. "No," he said quickly. "No, you are not leaving without me."

I sighed. "I'm not going anywhere, Draco," I said. "I promise."

"You can't leave me, Harry," he said. I could hear the tears in his voice, but I knew they would never breech the surface. Draco Malfoy never cried.

It was good to be back at work. I never realized just how much I missed being in the underground office that housed the Auror Headquarters. I walked up to my supervisor's desk. She looked up, seeing the shadow cross over her paperwork and laughed. "Harry Potter," she said nearly laughing again. "Bloody hell, you're actually here. You know, when they told me you were coming back to work, I didn't believe them. I said 'Harry's coming back to work? Are you sure?' and they said 'He'll be there on Monday.' And here you are."

"Here I am," I replied.

"Are we going to get you right back into the swing of things, or should we gradually allow you back?"

"I would say let me back where I stopped, but I have a fiancé who wouldn't be too happy about that. Let me back gradually," I sighed.

"Gradually it is then. Weasley would want to know you're back, doing an interview for the _Prophet._ Should be done soon," she said checking her watch.

"You'll have to clarify exactly _which_ Weasley we're talking about."

"Oh!" she said. "Ginny. She's a reporter, remember? Well on her way to editor, I'd say."

"_That_ Weasley," I said with a nod. "Alright, sure. I'll talk to her."

"Oh, and by-the-way," she said raising her quill. "Did you know your partner in the Unspeakables is coming back today as well?" she asked. "Before now, I didn't even know he'd taken off. Did you?"

"He is my roommate," I supplied. "He was there, helping out, while I was on my death bed."

"Really? I didn't know that. I guess you two must be close. I heard you hated each other during school."

"Until seventh year, yes."

"Do you want field work, or should we keep you at a desk job until your fiancé deems you ready for combat?"

"Desk job for now, I guess. Still really paranoid about what I do. Didn't really want me coming back today."

(((((*)))))*(((((*)))))*(((((*)))))

Work. Wow, it's been so long. I almost forgot how to get back into the office.

"Malfoy!" my boss yelled as soon as I walked through the door. "My office, now."

I sighed and turned down the hall, entering the first office door on the left. "What?" I asked as soon as he walked in behind me.

"You've been off for quite some time. You sure you can handle coming back like this, or should we send you off to the Auror department until you can get your bearings back?"

"I don't think you should be worrying about me," I replied coolly, folding my arms across my chest. I felt like I was back in school, acting cool while being arrogant. "I can handle what you've got to throw at me. Test me again if you really want to, but stick me in the Auror department, and you'll never see me again."

Those hard, chiseled features suddenly smiled. "I've really missed that smartass quality only you posses," he replied. "You've got a ton of paperwork waiting for you, I suggest you get started."

I nodded and walked to my small cubicle.

And stopped dead at the mess that awaited me.

There were papers everywhere! Scattered all over the place, I couldn't believe it. It was like someone had sent a windy jinx on my office—cubicle that it was—and it nearly destroyed everything.

I cast a quick cleaning charm and everything went back to its proper place.

And then I started working.

Five reports on missions from some of my interns, three that were so lousy they'd never make it into the department. Guess I should have been there for them, but hey, my fiancé _was_ dying. I couldn't leave him in the condition he was in, I don't care how much Ron and Hermione were there and practically living with us. I hated every minuet of that, by the way. All they ever did was remind me how sick he was. I knew enough of that, I didn't need them there, and I didn't want them there. But, this is Harry, and his friends are nothing without him.

"You look busy," drawled the best voice I've ever heard.

I smiled, turned around in my chair, and looked up at the man I was going to marry. "And what of it?" I asked.

"I was wondering if you wanted to come with me to the Prophet. Ginny's up there, and my boss said I should probably go see her."

"She doesn't know you've been cured yet."

"Neither does Ron."

"He at least knows you're up and healthy again."

Harry nodded once. "Yes," he said. "But he doesn't know that we're about to…" Harry trailed off, hearing footsteps nearing my cubicle. I looked up at my boss.

"Yes?" I asked.

"How's it coming?" he asked.

"Fine, I was just about to take lunch."

He nodded. "Alright. You're working hard, why don't you just take the rest of the day and take some of your work home."

"I could do that." I looked up at Harry. "What do you think?" I asked. "You up for my work being piled all over the table?"

"We've got Ron and Hermione coming over tonight," Harry reminded me. "And aren't Pansy and Blaise coming as well?"

"Yes," I said remembering. "They are. Okay, I'll pile it somewhere else."

The three of us chuckled.

"Alright," my boss said. "Get out of here."

I straightened the papers on my desk and followed Harry out of the department. As we exited the doorway, I reached for his hand, our fingers interlacing. He looked over at me and smiled. "What?" I asked as he shook his head and chuckled.

"You," he replied.

(*()(*()(*()(*()(*()(*()

I knocked twice and opened the door to Ginny's office.

"Hey, Gin," I said walking in, pulling Draco behind me. she looked up and her jaw drooped very comically.

"HARRY!" she squealed jumping up and running around her desk. She collided into me and nearly knocked me over. She'd knocked the wind out of me, that's for sure. I coughed slightly as she let me go, causing Draco to worry.

"Careful," he said softly.

"I'm fine," I shot at him.

"Are you cured?" Ginny asked at the same time.

I nodded. "Yes, but my lungs are still a little bit weak."

"I'm sorry," she said hurriedly. "I didn't hurt you did I?"

I shook my head. "Just surprised me is all. How's Lavender?" I asked, changing the subject. I hated how it was always about me lately. Not really me though, but my health. Snape cured me already! Why can't people just leave it alone?

Ginny smiled, "She's as crazy as ever," she answered. "We're adopting a little boy sometime next month. He's really cute. 8 years old, Native American, beautiful brown eyes…. Oh, he's adorable."

"Sounds like it," Draco replied. "Wonder if you have custody when we get married," he added as an afterthought.

"WHAT???" Ginny demanded. "You're getting _married_? To each other?"

"Yes," I answered.

"We were going to do it as soon as the war ended, but Harry got sick, so we couldn't. And he kept getting worse. We almost lost him the day he was cured. I will forever owe Snape."

"So will I," I added somberly.

"Does Ron know?" she asked.

(*&*(*&*(*&*()*&*)*&*)*&*)

Harry's face changed. We all remembered how Ron reacted to Ginny and Lavender coming out about their relationship.

"No," Harry answered stiffly. "He doesn't."

"It's not because of us, is it?" she asked sounding hopeful that it wasn't. But it was. Harry was afraid of his reaction because of the reaction Ginny's marriage had caused in him.

"Partly," Harry answered. "The way he reacted—"

"That wasn't because of us!" she interrupted. "I mean it was, but not for that reason. I didn't tell Ron we were dating, and then we eloped, and he found out. We got into a huge fight over it, but he didn't stop talking to me for a month because I was a _lesbian,_ Harry. He stopped because I hurt him when I didn't trust him enough to tell him. Not to mention we had already told the other Weasleys and our friends. He was the last to know and he hated it."

"He's always the last to know," I said. Ginny looked as if she were going to protest that statement, but instead she sighed and nodded. I was right.

"You should tell him, Harry," she said. "Now, not later. It'll be worse if you wait."

"Dinner?" I asked Harry. If we were getting married next month, we may as well tell Ron now. Besides, Blaise and Pansy don't know yet either.

He sighed and nodded. "Would you like to come to dinner?" he asked Ginny.

"Dinner?" she repeated.

"We've got Ron, Luna, Blaise, Pansy, and Hermione coming to dinner tonight. Out of all of them, Hermione's the only one who knows. It would be great if you would come, having dealt with telling Ron before."

"Lav and Chris too?"

"Of course!" I answered as though she were stupid for thinking we wouldn't allow her wife and future son to come to dinner with us.

"You have that kind of room in your apartment?" she asked.

"It's bigger on the inside thanks to magic."

She smiled sheepishly. "Of course. We'll be there. What time?"

"Six."

"How about an interview?" she asked Harry quickly.

"Wh-What?" he asked surprised.

"Yeah! The whole world knows you've been sick with some incurable disease, why not tell them what it's like being the only survivor?"

"You should talk to Snape, he's the one who came up with the cure."

Ginny walked around her desk and picked up her Quick Quotes Quill and activated it. The quill quickly wrote down all that was said between the two after Ginny's question about the interview.

"Why now?" she asked. "Why wasn't the cure invented before now? After all, wizards have been suffering from this disease for centuries."

"It was a favor," I answered. "He owed me."

"Owed you for what?"

"None of your business."

"Off the record?"

"No."

"We should go," Harry said jumping in to save me. "We need to get ready for dinner and…stuff."

I nodded, and Disapparated.

I sighed and sat down on the sofa. Then I realized I didn't have my work with me, so I had nothing to take my mind off of that interview. Snape owed me, that wasn't a secret, so why did it bother me so much?

**Flash Back**

"Draco?" asked the concerned voice of my Head of House. It was odd, hearing his voice like that, so I looked up at him, confused. "Yes?" I answered.

"I need you to do something for me," he confessed. "Slytherin and Gryffindor are at an all time low when it comes to the petty fighting around here. Dumbledore's threatened my job if I cant do something about it, same goes for McGonagall."

"So you need us to be friends."

"I need you and Potter to become friends," he clarified.

"NO!" I yelled. "No way!" Harry and I may be together, but that does not mean I'm going to play nice to the Gryffindors. That's way too much to ask. I can't blow my reputation by being friendly to those damn lions.

"Yes."

"What do I get out of it?" I asked stubbornly. I wasn't doing this if I wasn't getting anything out of it.

"Nothing."

"Then absolutely not!" I cried. "I'm not doing this if I don't get something out of it."

"Then what do you want?"

"I want a perfect grade for the rest of the year, _and_ an IOU payable at any time."

"Fine."

**End Flashback**

Did I perhaps know something would happen then?

%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%

"He _owed_ you?" I demanded as soon as I entered the apartment. "He fucking _owed_ you?"

"He owed me," Draco said heavily.

"For what?"

"For what we did in seventh year…When we united our Houses. I never told you, because I never thought I'd call in his favor."

"And here I was thinking he did it just because you were his godson."

"He didn't remember that he owed me until after I said something about it. Hell, even I forgot it. You were cursed, I didn't know what to do. I couldn't lose you, Harry, and then I remembered it. The conversation came back to me one night while I was watching you as you slept, thinking how lucky I was to have you in my life, even if it was only for a while. I owled him that night, asking…begging for help."

He had tears in his eyes again. I hated seeing them like this. Those eyes were not meant to hold tears.

"I'm sorry I yelled," I said giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm sorry I lied."

"I think I know how to tell Ron," I said thoughtfully.

"How?" he asked looking over at me.

"The same way we told them I was engaged in the first place. We'll tell them you're engaged, and then we'll tell them who. Hermione already knows, so hopefully she'll catch on and work with us. I talked to Ginny, she agreed that she wont tell Lavender and that she'll act like she doesn't already know."

"Take Hermione aside and make sure she knows how you want her to act. It's a good idea, love. I'll go get dinner started."

"Need help?"

"You, my love, are a horrid cook. I don't know how your aunt and uncle lived with it for so long."

"Ha ha," I said throwing a pillow at him. He caught it, laughed, and threw it back. I glared at the back of his head as he walked into the kitchen.

Hermione was the first to show. I explained what was happening at dinner tonight and she agreed to act thoroughly surprised. Next Ron and Luna showed, followed shortly by Ginny and her family. Blaise and Pansy, of course, were the last to show.

The dinner went almost exactly like the last one. The food was excellent, the conversation good, and near the end…

"Oh! Draco," I said as though I'd just remembered. "Didn't you have something you wanted to tell everyone?" I asked with a smile. This was my acting revenge. He pulled this surprise on me, now I pull it on him.

"Now?" he asked. I nodded. "Well, I suppose I should tell them…they are invited after all…"

"What?" Ron asked impatient.

"I'm getting married," he said staying right where he was. Ron's jaw dropped, Pansy squealed, Lavender gasped, and the rest—minus Luna—acted surprised in their own way.

"To who?" Blaise demanded.

"When did you have time to find someone to marry?" Hermione asked, playing her part.

"Harry," Draco replied smoothly. "And I found the time years ago.

Every fork dropped. Every mouth hung open. Every set of eyes bulged. Well, except the two getting married. Draco sat there, in his chair across from mine with a smirk on his face, I sat with my own grin.

"No," Ron finally whispered, shaking his head. "Not possible. Harry's already engaged!"

"Have you _ever_ seen his fiancé around?" Draco asked. "Ever seen some chit around fussing over him? I sure as hell haven't. I remember little more than five people showing the whole time Harry was on his death bed. If you find this supposed fiancé of his, I'd like to meet her. Tell her I stole him."

"You're serious…" Pansy breathed. "You're bloody serious."

"We are," I replied.

Ron's gaze snapped in my direction. His face was turning red, he was getting furious. "You've been engaged for two fucking years Harry!" he yelled. "Why the _fuck_ didn't you tell us before?"

"I was afraid," I confessed.

"Afraid of what?" Hermione asked, realizing that I had been lying to her that morning.

"Of you."

"Of us?"

"Maybe we should wait for this conversation to continue," Draco said stepping in. "We do have a child in the room after all, and if this escalates like I expect it will, Chris does not need to hear it."

"I think you're right," Ginny said stepping in on Draco's behalf. "Lavender, what do you think?"

"I want to hear this Gin," she said. "You and Chris go if you want, but I'm staying."

"Alright. Come on Chris," she said standing. "We'll come back and see Uncle Harry and Draco some other time, alright?"

"Okay," the little boy said. It was the first time I'd heard him speak. When Ginny had said he was Native American, she failed to say that he was actually _American_. His accent would probably change in time, but for now, his heritage was unmistakable. It made me wonder what had happened to him. Why was he being adopted in England when he was American?

"What were you afraid of?" Hermione demanded as soon as Ginny and Chris left through the fireplace.

"Of what you would say," I confessed. I was feeling very secure for some reason. I knew I could tell them, and I knew they wouldn't leave me like I'd been afraid they'd do. I don't know how I knew, but I knew. "I was afraid of what you would say, Ron, because you and Ginny fought over what happened with her and Lavender. None of us knew what was really going on, so we assumed you were a raging homophobic. You're my best friend, mate, I couldn't lose you just because I was different."

"Harry, you are the most unique person I know. Hell, you'd have been just like everyone else had you actually _died_."

"You two didn't talk for months after she told you about her and Lav. I was afraid that because I wasn't your brother you'd quit talking to me altogether for it. Bare with me here, Ron, I'm a little insecure. Comes with everyone knowing more about you than you do."

I caught Draco's eye. He winked, slight grin on his face, telling me that I was doing a good job getting this out. I was amazed that Ron hadn't started yelling full blown yet.

"But two years, Harry. And all those girls you brought on dates with Luna and I. I thought maybe one of them was your fiancé, thinking maybe you were covering your arse by bringing more than one, and few more than once. I was beginning to think Angela was your girl before you got sick."

"Would everyone please stop calling it an illness? Sure it knocks you off your feet and keeps you down like cancer or something, but this is a curse we're talking about here, not some disease."

"Okay, before you got cursed. How's that?"

"Better."

"Anyway, since Angela was the one you brought the most, I thought maybe she was your fiancé. Guess I was wrong."

"Angela was my partner in the Auror Department before she got assigned her own Unspeakable. We were friends, she was someone I enjoyed spending time with, so I brought her the most. I never hid the fact that I wasn't engaged to a girl you two. In fact, I never once specified a gender. I said things like 'my fiancé' or something along those lines. I don't know how you didn't notice, Hermione, but neither one of you did. Maybe since he was a she in your head, you always heard me say that I was engaged to a girl. Maybe next time I start talking about something like this, you'll pay attention to a gender."

"Maybe," Hermione replied softly. "I think we had best be going now. Do you need any help cleaning up?"

I shook my head. "No," I answered. "We can get it."

&*(&*(&*(&*(&*(

"Come on, Draco, it's time to go!"

I breathed deeply, trying to calm myself down. This was it, the big day. I was getting married.

I was getting married.

I wonder if this is how Harry felt when he was cured the first time. If he had this same sense of awe and wonderment that I do. If he had that feeling right now.

I checked my appearance once more in the mirror before following Blaise out.

"You do have that ring, don't you?" I asked again. I've probably asked this question a thousand times in the last fifteen minutes—think about how many times would amount to in the last four hours, which was when I started asking.

Blaise patted all of his pockets and stopped suddenly. His face changed into that of shock and I freaked. "YOU LOST IT?" I demanded.

"It was right here, Draco, I swear!"

"YOU FUCKING LOST IT?"

"I had it!"

"I CANT BELIEVE YOU! I TRUSTED YOU WITH THAT RING!"

He pulled something out of a pocket and held it out. "Could you perhaps be talking about this ring?" he asked all smart-assy.

I slapped the side of his head. "You are a bloody bastard, Blaise. I can't believe I asked you to be my best man."

"You need to relax, Draco."

!#!#!#

"And do you, Harry James Potter, take Draco Lucius Malfoy to be your lawfully wedded husband 'till death do you part?" Hermione asked me with a huge grin on her face.

"I do," I said staring straight into Draco's eyes. His beautiful silver-blue eyes…

"I now pronounce you married," she said, clearly choking back a lump in her throat. "You may kiss."

And so we did.


End file.
